Sunday at 8 p.m., Episode 6 of 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' aired.
Starting from Episode 5, the Maine crew had taken on a mission—to get close to Tanaka.
And who was Tanaka?
He was the shareholder father of that rich second-generation student from Arasaka Academy—the same one who had insulted David's mother.
After circling for so long, the story once again returned to Arasaka Academy and the Arasaka Corporation behind it.
And Episode 6 could absolutely be called a major turning point for the series.
When the Maine crew kidnapped Tanaka and attempted to infiltrate his brain through a hacker to extract the information they needed, Maine suddenly showed symptoms of cyberpsychosis.
He launched indiscriminate attacks on his own teammate, the hacker Kiwi, beating her so badly that she was hospitalized.
Afterward, when Tanaka woke up, he recognized David and tried to persuade him to betray the Maine crew and return with him to Arasaka Corporation. Tanaka promised that with David's extraordinary talent for cyberware implantation—being able to withstand the power of Sandevistan without going insane—he would surely rise to the very top within Arasaka.
But David did not betray his companions.
With Kiwi unconscious, Lucy—the only other hacker—was forced to take her place, diving into Tanaka's subconscious, which was protected by layers of Arasaka's security programs.
Meanwhile, Maine's cyberpsychosis worsened, leading to a violent argument with his girlfriend, Dorio.
He had implanted countless cyberwares, sacrificed everything to gain power, yet still ended up suffering cyberpsychosis. The frustration made him increasingly irritable, and even his words toward David became cruel.
As Lucy infiltrated Tanaka's mind, she uncovered many of Arasaka Corporation's secret plans regarding David—a young man with exceptional cyberware compatibility.
Here, another major narrative thread was foreshadowed.
Just as Lucy accessed the most critical information, a protection protocol was triggered. Arasaka's implanted safeguards activated, and Tanaka's neural implant detonated, killing him instantly to protect the company's secrets.
With Tanaka's death, the signal transmitter on his body sent out an alert. Night City's military forces immediately began moving toward the location of this platinum client's death.
This episode was the most tragic since 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' began airing.
During the firefight, Maine completely lost himself to cyberpsychosis. Dorio tried to save him—only to be shot through the head.
David chose to fight alongside Maine, charging upstairs in an attempt to save his leader.
But Lucy stopped him in the underground parking lot.
"They might not make it out. We should save ourselves."
"I can hear the fighting—they're still alive." David said in a low voice.
"Lucy, you wouldn't say that to me, would you?"
"You can do it."
This line—"You can do it"—was something Lucy had never said to David before.
And it was another crucial piece of foreshadowing.
The audience didn't realize it yet.
After saying that, David activated Sandevistan and rushed upstairs.
This episode offered a detailed depiction of a cyberpsycho's inner world.
In reality, Maine was slaughtering everyone around him indiscriminately.
But in his mental world, he was walking alone through a barren wasteland with no way back.
Until, in a single moment, he returned to reality—seeing Dorio dead by his own hands, surrounded by police.
Blood, brains, eyeballs, shredded flesh.
Bloody. Horrifying.
With Dorio's death, the muscular giant Maine turned into a demon from hell, massacring the police who surrounded him.
Yet even then, he never attacked David.
Even in his madness, he could still hear—and understand—David's words.
"This is my end. You have to live."
Maine patted David's head.
Then the anti-terror unit arrived.
A single rocket turned Maine into minced flesh, simultaneously detonating the explosives he had gathered to die together with them.
Relying on Sandevistan's speed, David escaped the scene.
The episode ended with David sitting in the passenger seat, Lucy driving, as a single tear slid down from the corner of his eye.
Tragic. Heart-wrenching. Yet perfectly consistent with the world's logic.
A group of cyberpunks living on the edge of a blade—could they really grow old, surrounded by children and family?
Wasn't this ending the most natural one?
It was just that audiences subconsciously chose to ignore that truth.
Just like Episode 6 of 'The Black Gate', Episode 6 of 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' was also the peak of the series so far.
Acting. Story. Visual effects. Artistic style.
All of it reached a god-tier level.
Maine's fate—the true cyberpunk destiny.
Killing the person he loved most with his own hands.
Then, they died at the hands of Arasaka Corporation.
It left fans and viewers silent.
A suffocating sense of depression spread through their hearts.
Previously, watching the protagonists take jobs and kill Night City's villains had felt exhilarating—a sense of righteous vengeance.
But now they realized:
The protagonists' destiny was to chase greater power, implant more cyberware, and eventually become cyberpsychos—
Just like the madman from Episode 1.
Just like Maine in Episode 6.
The meaning of the show shifted.
Episode 6 planted many clues, and after it aired, many viewers couldn't accept it.
Yet on XingxiaNet, countless fans posted tearful reactions.
[So that's it for Big Brother Maine?]
[No… please no.]
[Who said Su Yan's shows aren't brutal? He just doesn't torture the female lead—he tortures the supporting cast instead!]
[I'm depressed. I never thought Maine and Dorio, who were laughing with the protagonist in the last episode, would both die in this one!]
[I can't accept this plot! Is this really the fate of cyberpunk? Then what about David? Lucy? What happens to them?]
[No idea. But hasn't David always said his cyberware resistance is strong? Maine went cyberpsycho, but David might not.]
[Hard to say… and Lucy going to the moon still feels impossibly far away.]
[They haven't saved enough money yet.]
[Maine's dead—how is this story even going to continue?]
[Only Su Yan knows!]
[Damn it, watching David in the car, clutching Maine's arm, he grabbed from the explosion—I really cried. Maine said he'd give that cyberware to David someday… I just never imagined it would be like this.]
[This episode was brutally violent, but the effects were insane, and the information density was huge. First, Lucy's dive into Tanaka's subconscious shows that David is already on Arasaka's radar. And judging by how much Lucy knows about Arasaka, her background definitely isn't simple.]
[There are only four episodes left. I honestly don't know where the story is going.]
[Whatever. I'll just keep watching. This is the first show I've seen that blends romance, combat, blood, violence, and brotherhood this well. I know many Su Yan fans feel this is very different from his previous style, but to me, this is absolutely his strongest work.]
[That's just your opinion. In my heart, 'Your Lie in April' is still number one.]
['Rurouni Kenshin' is the real king!]
[What about 'An ancient love song'?]
[Even so, isn't 'Life Is Strange' also a masterpiece?]
[I haven't watched a show in so long that it made me sit there and think for ten minutes afterward. If it keeps this quality, it'll definitely be god-tier by the finale.]
[It already is, bro. In my heart, this is the best Xia Nation drama in years.]
The discussion continued until dawn.
Then the media stepped in.
People in the Xia Nation TV industry weren't blind—they could see the quality of the show.
Even before the ratings were released, anyone with a sense knew they would rise.
That was obvious from the explosive online discussions the night before.
And sure enough, by noon, Su Yan and Shinozaki Ikumi were sitting together in the office, waiting for the ratings message.
Even though Su Yan had confidence in 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners', he was still nervous.
Especially since its direct competitor this season was Sakura TV's 'The Black Gate'.
"What do you think would happen to Akasaka Yoshitoki if 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' takes the seasonal crown?" Su Yan suddenly asked.
"Hmm…" Shinozaki Ikumi thought for a moment.
"Even as head of production, 'The Black Gate' was made under his directive. If it doesn't win the seasonal crown, that's already a problem. And you're someone he forced out of the station—if your work takes first place, that's basically adding insult to injury."
"To be honest, his position as head of production might not be so secure anymore."
"Would he be removed directly?" Su Yan asked with interest.
"Not quite. One S-tier drama failing won't get him fired outright—otherwise, who would dare approve such projects? But his position would definitely be shaken."
"Once the foundation under your seat starts to wobble, everything changes. Sakura TV has plenty of capable people—like my aunt, Ogata Aya. They have backing among the shareholders, too. Putting pressure on Akasaka is inevitable."
She looked at Su Yan.
"And as head of production, he's the first person responsible for the station's overall performance. Every time you release a successful work after being driven out, it cuts directly into his authority."
"If 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' wins the seasonal crown, and then you produce a few more works that all outperform Sakura TV's shows… I'd say the market pressure, internal public opinion, and rival factions within the department would be enough to push him off that seat."
"That position isn't easy to hold."
"I see," Su Yan nodded.
"Then 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' has one more reason to win the seasonal crown."
Beep beep beep!
His phone rang.
The liaison from Zhongxia TV sent over the latest weekly ratings list for Xia Nation dramas.
Su Yan opened it, and the tension in his heart finally eased.
"5.44%."
He smiled.
"This week, we're first again."
Shinozaki Ikumi clenched her fist slightly, her breathing quickening before she calmed herself.
"First place… just like we expected. From Episode 6 onward, 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' was always going to rise."
"We won't get overtaken again… right?" she asked, half convincing herself, half uncertain.
"We won't," Su Yan said firmly.
"I'm tired of this racing game with 'The Black Gate'."
"From Episode 7 until the finale, 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' will not be overtaken. It will stay in first place."
"Really?"
"Really," Su Yan replied.
"Trust me."
He thought for a moment, then took out his phone.
On his ZhongxiaNet creator account, he wrote—word for word—that ['Cyberpunk: Edgerunners' would maintain first place from Episode 7 onward.]
At a moment like this, if you're going to say something like that, how could you stay low-key?
Especially when facing an old rival like Akasaka Yoshitoki.
Su Yan wasn't just popping champagne at halftime—
He was announcing it nationwide.
And he intended to make it come true.
Just to irritate Akasaka Yoshitoki.